The Straight has a new look. What does it mean for you?
The Straight has relaunched on a new platform and will soon introduce paid membership. We answer all your questions about what is changing and what isn’t.
You likely noticed that we have changed the way The Straight looks and feels this week.
We have switched technology platforms and joined Indiegraf, which will allow us to better serve you, the audience, while maintaining our quality-led approach to covering the breeding, racing, and wagering industries.
What doesn’t change?
Firstly, the quality content you have come to enjoy will be maintained. Our commitment to independent news and analysis remains central to what we do, underpinned by the same editorial charter and the same professional level of coverage.
The basic functionality of The Straight will be the same as it has been since our launch nearly two years ago.
If you signed up to receive our newsletters, then these will continue as they were, with The Straight Daily News delivered every morning and our ‘Seven days in …’ feature newsletters still delivered every Tuesday, Thursday and Friday.
You can unsubscribe at any time from these newsletters by clicking the link at the bottom.
If you notice any bugs, or have any issue accessing any of our content or have any feedback about the new site, then please feel free to email info@thestraight.com.au.
What will change?
In the next two weeks, we will be introducing a paid membership program. This means that certain exclusive content will be available only to The Straight members who have paid the monthly or annual subscription fee.
The cost of membership will be $19 per month (inc GST) or $199 per year (inc GST).
We are offering a discount to those who sign up to an annual membership by October 31. Enter EARLYMEMBER in the coupon code to secure $20 off.
Corporate discounts are available to companies or organisations with more than 10 accounts.
Membership is the only way to guarantee access to all content across The Straight.
Non-members will still get access to our daily and feature newsletters (should they sign up), selected news and feature content, our podcasts, The Straight Jobs, plus one member-only article per month.
How do I sign up?
Go to the Membership link at the top of the page. Enter your details, click on whether you want a monthly or yearly membership, create a unique and secure password and follow the prompts to create an account.
Please note, even if you previously had an account on our previous system, you will need to create a new account.
You will be prompted for payment. Our payment is facilitated through Stripe and is encrypted and secure.
Payment is best made by credit card, but can also be facilitated via Google Pay. If you wish to pay via a different method, please contact info@thestraight.com.au.
If you have a discount or coupon code, you can use it during this process when prompted. We are offering a discount to those who sign up to an annual membership by October 31. Enter EARLYMEMBER in the coupon code to secure $20 off.
How do I manage my account?
Once you are signed in, you can change your details, payment methods and membership status by clicking My Account at the top of the suite.
I have an issue with my membership. What do I do?
Please contact us at info@thestraight.com.au and we will look to resolve it as soon as possible.
Why would I pay for a membership?
As we said, membership is the only way to guarantee access to all content across The Straight.
The Straight’s focus is on providing the best news, analysis and features for those who have a professional or commercial interest in the racing, wagering and/or breeding industries.
These interlinked industries are complex, and their coverage requires a professional-level understanding of the issues that affect those involved.
We want not only to continue serving this market but also to expand it.
Providing that professional level of coverage and sourcing that level of expertise has a cost, and in order to preserve our quality and independence, paid membership is a key aspect of our long-term commercial model.
When we launched The Straight, we said this was our plan. We have just been waiting for the right moment to launch this, and the new platform makes that possible.
The value The Straight provides will differ for each person, but for those who value what we do and the service we offer, the membership fee will be worth paying.
There will be people who don’t believe in paying for content or who feel the value we offer isn’t worth the price of a membership. That’s fine, as mentioned, The Straight will always have some content made freely available.
Will you still have advertising?
The commercial model for The Straight has been driven by advertising in its first 22 months, with the intention to go to a hybrid membership/advertising framework.
Advertising will always feature on our site and in our newsletters. If you are interested in advertising with The Straight, check out our Advertise With Us page.
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